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Girl Scouts helps girls explore their world, introducing them to new experiences, places and activities. Girl Scouts from the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind experienced a couple of “firsts” in early January when they went camping and and received archery instruction at Camp Kateri. Read more about their weekend here.

Selma Rutledge, Girl Scouts of Gateway Council volunteer and former Girl Scout, tells TIME Magazine about her experience selling Girl Scout cookies. Selma Rutledge recalls her grandmother making the cookies she sold in a small paper bag with a ribbon round it. While the Girl Scout Cookie program has evolved since then, the benefits are still just as amazing! According to Selma, “selling cookies taught me how to meet people and how to present myself. It gave me the courage to stand up and speak up.”

JACKSONVILLE&comma; Fla&period; – With an estimated 84 percent of households in Northeast Florida deemed food insecure&comma; Girl Scouts of Gateway Council &lpar;GSGC&rpar; is taking action to take a bite out of hunger and make Northeast Florida a better place one cookie box at a time&period; This year&comma; GSGC has officially designated Feeding Northeast Florida &lpar;FNEFL&rpar;&comma; which supports 150 food pantries across 17 counties in Northeast Florida&comma; as the recipient of its annual Virtual Gift of Caring program&period;

As a way to recognize hometown heroes and make a difference in the communities GSGC serves&comma; the Council chooses an organization each year as a beneficiary to receive donated cookies&period; Through the Virtual Gift of Caring option&comma; troops may ask customers to buy an extra box or two to be donated to the cause&period; Troops receive the money for donated cookies&comma; girls receive credit for the sales and the cookies are delivered directly to the organization at the conclusion of the sales season in late April&period;

“Hunger is an issue in our communities and one that no man&comma; woman or child should face&period; We hope each box brings the same smiles and joy that we feel knowing that little things can make a huge impact on our world&comma;&rdquor; said Mary Anne Jacobs&comma; CEO of GSGC&period; “We are excited to partner with such a dedicated organization that touches lives and helps others throughout all the counties we serve as well&period;&rdquor;

For the past five years&comma; Presley Huish has been a Girl Scout&period; Each year during cookie season&comma; she sets a goal and pursues it with the help of her parents through door-to-door sales&period;

Her biggest seller&comma; she says&comma; are Thin Mints and the 11-year-old has sold more than 1&comma;700 packages of Girl Scout cookies&period;

“I set a lot of goals&comma;&rdquor; she said&period;

That number could greatly increase this cookie season with the introduction of two brand new cookie flavors and a revolutionary way to buy them&period;

For the first time in Girl Scout history&comma; local Girl Scouts will have cookies for sale online through a Web-based platform called Digital Cookie&period;

It allows the scouts to create a Web page that is protected and personalized with their own order form&comma; sales goals&comma; progress indicator&comma; plans for using proceeds for sales and even their lessons learned from selling cookies&period;

The online sales are on a scout-by-scout basis&comma; meaning that it’s up to the Girl Scout and her family to decide if they want to offer cookies online&period;

Last year&comma; the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council sold 1&period;2 million packages of cookies with the top five being Thin Mints&comma; Samoas&comma; Tagalongs&comma; Trefoils and Do-si-do&comma; but Jacobs says sales have been flat&period;

“The cookie program has either remained flat or in some markets we see a decrease in cookie sales&comma;&rdquor; she said&period;

Nearly 1,000 Girl Scouts, family members and volunteers huddled at EverBank Field Dec. 7 for our third annual Cookie Kickoff. We got the best of the weather that day, allowing girls to visit learning stations, hear tips from last year’s top cookie bosses, enjoy picnic lunch with family members and have fun together. Jaxson de Ville paid us a visit at lunch. Dan Hicken, sports anchor for Action News, shot a live spot for his pre-game show with Girl Scouts and stumped us with a football question! Laura Caso of First Coast News interviewed Brownie Elizabeth and showed all of North Florida what cookie kickoff and Girl Scout fun is all about! Afterward, we braved the wind, cold and rain to cheer on the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Being a Girl Scout volunteer doesn’t just mean endless hours of camping&comma; cookies and crafting&period; How about chaperoning a trip to a science museum&quest; Try canoeing on a warm summer day or helping eager girls learn archery&period;

That’s the message the Girl Scouts is trying to get out in an attempt to recruit nontraditional volunteers&period; To make that goal easier&comma; the scouts will launch a new online volunteer system in late November&period;

“The majority of the volunteers are troop leaders&period; There’s a perception that that’s all there is&comma;&rdquor; said Mary Ann Jacobs&comma; CEO of the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council&period;

Gateway Council includes St&period; Johns and 15 other counties in Northeast Florida&period; There are about 5&comma;000 registered adult volunteer Girl Scouts in this area&comma; and 2&comma;000 of them are troop leaders&period; They help 13&comma;000 girls each year&period;

“Girl Scouts has provided a safe&comma; fun and engaging place for girls and adult volunteers for over 100 years&comma;&rdquor; she said&period;

Nontraditional volunteers typically assist troop leaders and have responsibilities that span from a few hours to a few days&period; Some examples — lifeguards&comma; chaperones&comma; event planners&comma; kayak instructors&comma; and&comma; yes&comma; people skilled with a bow and arrow&period;

“The need is ever-evolving&comma;&rdquor; Jacobs said of these helpers&period;

The new online registration program is called the Volunteer Tool Kit&comma; and it will be available around the holidays through the website at girlscouts&period;org&sol;&period;

The first step in volunteering on any level is to&period;&period;&period;

GAINESVILLE - Some say, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But one local student is giving dogs at the pound a chance to learn.

The Alachua County Animal Services received new agility gear for the dogs to play and exercise with. It’s all part of one eastside high school student’s goal to do something for her community while working towards the Girls Scout gold award.

Jennifer Banks worked on this project for more than 80 hours. She helped fundraise the money to buy the materials by selling girls scout cookies and actually built five different obstacles-- like a dog walk, hut and weave poles among other things.

“The animals didn’t have much to interact with and the volunteers really wanted something that they could use to help socialize the dogs and interact with them. To help build confidence in animals that stayed there,” Banks said.

Banks has been part of Girls Scouts for 13 years now, and hopes to one day become a girls scout leader.

JACKSONVILLE&comma; FLA – July 22 2014 – A local nonprofit organization is better equipped to train its members and volunteers after a donation from Comcast&period; The Girl Scouts of the Gateway Council received ten netbook computers and free Comcast services&comma; including high speed internet and cable television&period;

“We’ve been serving girls in Northeast Florida since the early 1920’s&period; Technology has changed a bit over the decades&period; The generous gift of high speed internet access and ten Acer Netbooks from Comcast will enable the Girl Scouts of the Gateway Council to train girls and adult volunteers&comma; “ said the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council CEO Mary Anne Jacobs&period; “Not all of our Girl Scouts and adult volunteers have access to high-speed internet&period; Almost everything we do is moving into a robust digital environment&period; Comcast’s donation will provide Girl Scouts access to the information girls need to be ready for college and a globally competitive workplace&period;&rdquor;

“Comcast is proud to support the great work of the members and volunteers of the Girl Scouts of the Gateway Council through this donation&comma;&rdquor; said Bill Ferry&comma; Comcast North Florida Senior Director&comma; Government and Regulatory Affairs & Community Investment&period; “Comcast is committed to giving back to organizations like the Girl Scouts in all of the communities we serve&period;&rdquor;

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council&comma; Inc&period; is a registered 501C &lpar;3&rpar; organization with membership open to all girls in kindergarten thro&period;&period;&period;

JACKSONVILLE&comma; FLA - MAY 14&comma; 2014 - Monica Flynn Jacoby still remembers her days as a Girl Scout in New Jersey&period;

She loved being a Scout&comma; loved displaying all the merit badges she earned on her uniform and loved the women who guided her troop&period;

As a philanthropist&comma; the part-time Ponte Vedra Beach resident has paid it forward&period;

Jacoby’s &dollar;750&comma;000 gift to the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council will fund an administrative and meeting space at the council’s North Fork Leadership Center in Middleburg&period; A groundbreaking ceremony took place Tuesday for the Monica Flynn Jacoby Center&comma; which will be near the entrance of the 250-acre camp that borders the North Fork of Black Creek&period;

Although unable to attend the ceremony&comma; Jacoby said in a written message that she made lasting friendships&comma; experienced adventures and learned lessons in Scouting&period; But she never “fully appreciated&rdquor; the women who served as Scout leaders&comma; she wrote&period;

“Their dedication to our welfare&comma; their commitment to giving us experiences to enlarge our world and their patience in dealing with us&comma; especially during our teenage years — those virtues were amazing&comma;&rdquor; Jacoby wrote&period; “So today I am just passing it forward as a thank you to them and to all the wonderful women who dedicate themselves to our girls today&period; Our world needs strong women leaders&comma; and the Scouting program fosters just that&period;&rdquor;

The Jacoby Center will be the latest investment in the camp&comma; which the council purchased in&period;&period;&period;

Six of Jacksonville's most accomplished women were honored Wednesday at the 25th annual Women of Distinction Awards hosted by the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council&period;

Nearly 600 people attended the event to recognize the women's professional and civic accomplishments and contributions&comma; according to a news release&period;

"Girl Scouts of Gateway Council is thrilled to honor the Women of Distinction who exemplify the values of Girl Scouts and are role models for girls&comma;" said Mary Anne Jacobs&comma; the council's chief executive officer&period; "For 25 years&comma; we've recognized women in the area who set the pace and clear the path for tomorrow's female leaders&period;"

The 2014 honorees are&colon;

• Pamela Chally&comma; dean of the Brooks College of Health at the University of North Florida&period; Chally has a long record of community service&comma; holding leadership positions with Brooks Health Care System&comma; Sulzbacher Center&comma; WJCT Public Radio&comma; Ronald McDonald House and Haven Hospice&comma; among others&semi; • Jennifer Chapman&comma; director of public affairs for Fidelity Investments&comma; community advocate&comma; entrepreneur and winner of the 2012 Jacksonville StartUp Weekend&semi; • Marsha Oliver&comma; chief officer of public relations and marketing for Duval County Public Schools&comma; certified community coach and member of Eartha M&period;M&period; White Legacy Board&comma; Volunteers in Medicine Board of Directors&comma; and Jack & Jill of America Inc&period;&comma; among others&semi; • Allison Korman Shelton&comma; vice president of marketing&period;&period;&period;

With the 97th Girl Scout cookie season well underway&comma; UF students will do anything to get a hold of their favorite cookies&period; Fortunately for Gainesville residents like Benjamin&comma; cookie booth sales begin in town today&period;

Mary Anne Jacobs&comma; CEO of the local Girl Scouts council&comma; said booth sales typically last about three weeks&comma; depending on each troop’s schedule&period;

Julie Hill&comma; a UF graduate student and leader of Troop 1688&comma; said with the first weekend of cookie booth sales coinciding with the start of UF’s Spring Break&comma; students usually buy the &dollar;4 boxes of cookies on their way out of town&period;

Benjamin said she has about a box and a half of Lemonades left from the four her parents brought last week when they came up from South Florida for her birthday&period; Although she said she’s hoping there will be more waiting when she goes home for break&comma;&period;&period;&period;

It brings Easter&comma; March Madness and other time-honored traditions&period;

Yes&comma; Girl Scout cookies are back&period;

Even the most diligent dieters find it hard to resist those little morsels of goodness&comma; and Girl Scouts across the country will sell millions of boxes in just eight weeks&period; The program&comma; now in its 97th year&comma; not only helps girls develop their business acumen&comma; but the proceeds stay within the community&period; The revenue helps local troops fund trips&comma; service projects and volunteer training&comma; as well as maintenance of camps and other properties&period;

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council CEO Mary Anne Jacobs&comma; who has been on the job for a little more than nine months&comma; finds it rewarding when she hears from girls of their experiences selling cookies and plans for the proceeds&period; She recently met one young girl whose troop is going to Peru with the proceeds from their cookie sales&period; In fact&comma; many troops are able to travel internationally and participate in unique endeavors through their efforts with the program&period;

“The cookie program is the largest girl-owned business in the country&comma;&rdquor; said Jacobs&period; “It teaches them about decision-making&comma; marketing skills&comma; team building and competition&period;&rdquor;

Beyond camp&comma; crafts and cookies

While the annual cookie sale is a huge part of the Girl Scout experience&comma; it’s just one component of a multi-tiered program aimed at helping girls not only develop as leaders&comma; but to build confidence by learning new skills&period;&period;&period;&period;

The second annual Unity Day in Columbia County&comma; hosted by Girl Scouts of Columbia Service Unit&comma; will be in the Lake City Mall on Wednesday&comma; October 9&comma; from 5 to 7 p&period;m&period;&comma; with pre event activities beginning at 3&colon;30 p&period;m&period;

"This event will hit home for many parents&comma; students and teachers on the subject of bullying&period; You may not think that this issue relates to you&comma; but everyone should be concerned and prepared to deal with situations regarding this subject&comma;" said Unity Day organizer Crystal Curran&period;

"Bullying affects so many of our community's children&comma; parents and teachers as well&period;"

This event encourages adults and children to get involved to help make a difference and spread the word to help other kids stand up for each other&excl;

The event begins at 3&colon;30 p&period;m&period; with a bounce house&comma; face painting&comma; balloons&comma; and more&period;

Speakers&comma; musicians and performers will take the stage from 5 to 7 p&period;m&period;

"We are partnering with Columbia County School Board to include an art show by inviting students and faculty to submit artwork with Unity Day related themes&comma; such as anti-bullying&comma; friendship&comma; community and peace-building&comma;" Curran said&period;

Artwork will be displayed in the Lake City Mall October 9th through October 18th&period; All artwork will be returned to the schools after the close of the exhibition to be returned to the artists&period; For more details contac&period;&period;&period;

First came a pallet full of Do-Si-Dos and Trefoils rolling into Second Harvest North Florida’s Jessie Street warehouse Monday in Jacksonville&period;

Then assistant warehouse manager Isadore Celestine unloaded more pallets&comma; each at least 6 feet high with donated cookies picked up from the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council warehouse&period;

The bad news — no Thin Mints since they always sell out&period;

The good news — the 1&comma;200-box donation from the Girl Scouts will be a special treat combined with the regular food donations Second Harvest sends out to the nonprofit agencies it helps every day&period; Some cookies will also go into the children’s backpacks Second Harvest gives away when school starts in August&period;

“Our clients are not likely to be able to afford something like that&comma;&rdquor; Second Harvest community engagement director Kimberly Mariani said&period;

The Girl Scouts sold 1&comma;251&comma;137 boxes in 2012 in the Gateway Council’s 16-county area vs&period; 1&comma;190&comma;424 the year before&period; They usually give away about 300 cases to Jacksonville Naval Air Station for overseas sailor care packages&period;

“Since we had a few more leftover this year&comma; Second Harvest was the natural choice&comma;&rdquor; Gateway Council spokeswoman Nancy White said&period;

Second Harvest serves about 450 member agencies in a 17-county area in North Florida&comma; including church pantries&comma; senior citizen centers&comma; after-school and summer programs and shelters from Alachua to Union County&period;

“We get cookies&comma; but not Girl Scout cookies&comma;&period;&period;&period;

Mary Anne Jacobs and Ambassador Girl Scout Jessica Banachsingh were featured today on WJXT Channel 4’s The Morning Show. Talking with anchor Jennifer Waugh, Mary Anne and Jessica shared information about Digital Cookie, new cookie flavors, and Gift of Caring. Jessica has been a Girl Scout for 12 years, and plans to use her cookie proceeds to buy her lifetime Girl Scout membership. Mary Anne shared her newly discovered Girl Scout cookie recipe. Watch the segment to learn what she does with Thin Mints!